Creating Good Conditions in Heart, Home, and Health

Digging Deep in the Word {Prayer Journals}

I think we can all agree that when it comes to a closer walk with the Lord our time in the Word and in prayer come hand in hand. Our series on Digging Deeper in the Word has focused primarily on our time in the Word so I thought this morning we could take a moment to talk about our prayer time.

From what I have heard just talking among my own friends and family prayer time is what we all struggle with the most. Finding a quiet place to pray, thinking to pray (instead of worry!), keeping our mind on prayer instead of letting it wander off into space during prayer time, being consistent with prayer, etc. God has done AMAZING things because men prayed. What is keeping us from claiming that same power? Time or faith? I think if we all think about it we have to be honest and say faith is what keeps us from praying like we should. If we really believed God can answer our prayers we would be praying a lot more often!

I would like to encourage you today to get real in your prayer life. Take God at His word and ask so we can receive! To help you along in your prayer time I have collected some great ways to start a prayer journal. A prayer journal is effective…very effective.

By writing down prayer requests, categorizing them, dating them, etc we can remember our requests, bring them before God regularly and cross them off when God answers them. And if we are writing or reading as we pray we are far less likely to get distracted during prayer. Here is a link to a post I did years ago about My Prayer Journal. Maybe it will give you some ideas for starting your own.

At the top of each page I write the category of that list. Some of my lists are (as you will see if you click to see my old prayer journal): family, my husband, friends, church, missionaries, unsaved, and Facebook prayer requests (you will be surprised by how many people as for prayer over Facebook once you start writing them down). Under each category I list the specific requests or people I am praying for. You can write down the date you started praying, leave a place to write the date it is answered or maybe even a verse next to that prayer request.

Here are some other great ideas for your prayer journal:

Prayer Journal Prompts give you ideas of things to pray for. These are not prayers to repeat. These are topics of things to pray for. This is a great way to get started in an in depth prayer life.

Arabah Joy (a website I link up to every week) has some great ideas for starting a prayer journal from scratch. All you need is a blank notebook and you’re good to go! I love the ideas she gives for each day of the week.

Five Finger Prayer helps kids learn who to pray for. We can’t forget about our kids when it comes to prayer time. Let’s teach them now at a young age how to pray!

Pray for your husbands! We of all people know they need it! I made a list of Ways to Pray for our Husbands and you are welcome to use it if you’d like. It also includes verses to pray over.

Don’t forget to pray for your missionaries. They need daily encouragement in addition to all their needs met. They deal with things on a daily basis and need us praying for them. Here is a list my pastor’s wife shared with us of Ways to Pray for the Missionary {Missionary Prayer List}.

It’s also a great help to have verses about prayer scattered throughout your journal. Or maybe you’d like to have them all listed in the beginning so that you see them often. However you choose to do it, I highly suggest you do it. Google some verses about prayer. Make a list of ones that especially speak to you. Here is my list of prayer verses. You are welcome to print it out and use it for yourself. I keep this printout hanging above my desk so I see them often. {Verses on Prayer}

What are some must haves for your prayer journal? What areas do you struggle with the most when it comes to prayer time? Share with us, encourage us! Want to read more from our series? Click here for the rest of the Digging Deep in the Word series. And remember, Grace Happening and Young Housewife have been joining me in this series and give great tips for getting more out of your devotions.